From the blog

Golden Aspect Ratio

Golden Aspect Ratio = The art of 1.6180339887

Whenever you see a composition that simply seems right, you may wonder why right actually seems right. The human brain is built in a way to organize things in logical and optical order. That is why we assume that all surrounding us environments are arranged in an organized manner and if not we are always tempted to do that by our selves.

The beauty of that concept is that in fact it is true and was proven by Euclid in the book of 6 elements. He discovered that when we divide a line (a + b)into two parts, like in the image below.

We get the foundation of an equation for the perfect symmetrical division. So 200 BC thanks to ancient Greeks people already knew that there is perfect symmetry in nature.

Later on, It was proven and explained in pure mathematics by the genius of Fibonacci. This equation represents that:

A/B = (A+B)/A = 1.6180339887498948420 …

and is based on the earlier concept of a line division. So the longer part divided by, the shorter part will be equal to the length of the whole line separated by the longer piece. Now, this may seem a little confusing but to prove my point lets simplify this concept by bringing it to the visual language. Instead of numbers.

Artists inspired by this Equation constructed a Golden Ratio Rectangle consisting of a square with edges of equal lengths similar to the shortest length of the rectangle and a small rectangle. To proceed with, once you remove this former square from the rectangle, there will be a remaining portion of smaller Golden Rectangle. Now you can continue to go with this steps infinitely.By now you should get that golden ratio rectangle is a graphical representation of the beautiful phi number: 1.6180339887498948482…

And yea this way we are getting a perfect grid for the symmetrical division and an exquisite way to organize all elements of our composition. There is something truly magical about the golden aspect ratio. It creates a perfect balance in almost every structure out there starting from nature through space and on of course things created by human hands.

To put it into even simpler words it’s all about the focal point of our golden ratio grid. If you want to build a balanced composition for your designs where observers attention is naturally guided from the area of the highest importance to the places of the lowest interest, this grid will help you to do that. So yes golden aspect ratio helps artists around the world to construct the so-called visual tension in their compositions.

It is widely used in all known design fields and even in math sciences to create balance and perfect proportions in any equation or composition.

In the end, I’d like to show you all how can we construct the golden aspect ratio grid in few simple steps. I do this in Adobe illustrator but almost every graphic design software is fit to do that.

Here is a quick explanation of infographics on how to design a simple grid:

In the upcoming youtube video, I’ll show you guy’s how to use it in logo design. Till then please feel free to download the Golden Ratio grids that I have prepared for you all so far, you may also want to visit my website for some vector resources or signup to my newsletter with updates on my newest tutorials.

Australian illustrator Sofia Varano employs a variety of techniques – from watercolours to digital manipulation – to create vibrant, playful artworks. She explains more about her process in an interview with Creative Boom:

“My illustrations are stylistically clean, created using flat shapes and minimalistic yet vibrant gradients. I add another level of depth by incorporating a human element through handmade textures created using paint, collaging and other traditional techniques.

I am inspired by many different art mediums, from sculpture to glassblowing and try to experiment with as many techniques as I can to constantly grow as an artist. When I see art made using an unusual technique, I am drawn to this and will often attempt to utilize the technique in my own illustrations.” ... See more

Stefan Kunz is an incredibly talented artist and designer, focused primarily on typography and lettering art.

“As a kid, other than LEGOs, paper and a pen did the trick to keep me occupied for a very long time. I could lose myself in my imagination and bring it to life on paper. This also applies to lettering. Drawing words and placing them in unique landscapes has fascinated me for years now. I now love to use this art to make reading interesting again and to capture the attention of people.”